Vietnam reports two more bird flu deaths
HANOI - Two more Vietnamese people have died of bird flu, a hospital official said on Wednesday, but the World Health Organisation said it was uncertain whether the deaths were caused by the virus sweeping across Asia.
If confirmed, the deaths of the sisters, aged 23 and 30, would bring the death toll from bird flu to 10, of which eight have been in Vietnam. Two boys have died in Thailand.
The sisters died on January 23, said Hoang Thuy Long, director of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology.
"The two sisters are the latest victims of the bird flu virus. We have repeatedly tested their lung fluid samples and the results were all positive. I am very confident their deaths are caused by H5N1 virus," Long told Reuters, referring to the bird flu virus that has erupted across Asia.
The WHO said its laboratory in Hong Kong would carry out tests.
"These patients have been tested before, and until now results have been negative," the U.N. health agency said in a statement.
The sisters had killed and eaten chicken at their brother's wedding in Thai Binh province, 110 km (70 miles) southeast of the capital, Hanoi, Long said.
The virus, which the WHO has described as unusually aggressive, has spread to 10 countries in Asia. (Additional reporting by Nguyen Nhat Lam)
Reuters - January 28, 2004.
Vietnam reports 2 more deaths due to bird flu ; toll rises to 8
HANOI - Laboratory tests have confirmed that bird flu claimed the lives of two more people, bringing the country's death toll to eight, Vietnamese officials said on Wednesday. The latest cases were two sisters from northern Thai Binh province, who died last week, said Hoang Thuy Long, director of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology. Thai Binh is some 100 kilometres southeast of Hanoi.
"Test results on Tuesday showed that they were positive with H5N1 strain of bird flu," he said. The two women, aged 23 and 30, were admitted to the Institute of Clinical Research for Tropical Medicine on January 13 and died on January 22. Their 31-year-old brother had died on January 14 at Bach Mai Hospital, but he was cremated so no samples were available for testing, said Long.
The World Health Organization has already confirmed eight human cases of bird flu in Vietnam. Six of those people — five of them children have died. An 8-year-old girl remains hospitalised in Ho Chi Minh City while a 4-year-old boy from Vinh Phuc has recovered and been discharged. WHO officials said on Wednesday they have not been notified of the latest cases. Two bird flu deaths have been confirmed in Thailand, for a total of 10 for the region.
The Associated Press - January 28, 2004
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